


Stalemate Scenario

by Neferit



Series: Stalemate Scenario [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, all the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 12:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4666506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neferit/pseuds/Neferit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When doubts emerge, friendships shatter. There are no such things as no-win scenarios. Stalemate scenarios, however, are something completely different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stalemate Scenario

 

James Tiberius Kirk had been called many things throughout his life.

James.

Jim.

Boy.

Son.

Trouble.

Genius.

Chosen.

Jay.

Sunny.

Cadet.

Slut.

Acting Captain.

Arrogant.

Prick.

Selfish.

He was called many things, some of them were even earned. But most of them was just people taking things out on face value, not bothering to come closer to take a better look at what was hiding just below the surface.

Like before, during and after the  Narada Incident , or  Battle of Vulcan , as it had been called now.

They called him arrogant, and self-righteous. He would call himself  right . Instructor Spock, who had been the main programmer of newest version of Kobayashi Maru simulation called him a cheater; someone too afraid to experience fear while facing a no-win scenario.

The idiot haven’t known that Jim (and Jim had no intentions of actually letting him know) faced his Kobayashi Maru before, when he was so much younger than he was now (at least it seemed that way to him now); a no-win from any angle one could look at it, yet he turned it around, and came up beaten and bruised, but victorious and alive.

Tarsus IV had been his Kobayashi Maru, and he had beaten it. Some crappy simulation, made by someone who never had been in such a situation, didn’t even come close to it.

The whole Narada Incident had been a big eye-opener to Jim; bigger than he would have liked. He liked to think that he entered the Starfleet with his eyes wide open, fully knowing what to expect - heavy load of classes, tears and sweat, and in the end, the well-deserved recognition of his efforts.

“I’ll do it in three,” he told his recruiter and later his advisor, Captain Pike. And he did everything that was in his powers to fulfill the dare he set for himself. Still, in a matter of rather short time he heard rumours about himself, that made him into a real heartbreaker, who would sleep with someone and then throw them away, never looking to see someone twice.

He never found out who started the rumours, but in the end, it didn’t really matter - there were still enough people who didn’t believe them, or if they did, they didn’t seem to pay them much heed.

But after his third try at Kobayashi Maru it was proven to him how wrong he had been in his assumption of knowing what to expect.

The whole time, his eyes haven’t been wide open.  They had been wide shut .

No matter how brilliant his performance throughout his stay at the Academy had been, how good his results and training missions went - nobody had truly believed in him, and only now he could truly see it.

Only four people believed in him knowing what he said, and understood how he said it, and only one of them actually knew him well to be able to make an informed judgement of his character.

Gaila.

Hikaru Sulu.

Pavel Chekov.

Montgomery Scott.

That Uhura doubted him was no real surprise. That Spock didn’t believe his objection relevant was to be expected, given their previous acquaintance. That nearly everyone had more than one something  uncomplimentary to say about him during their limp home also didn’t come as a surprise.

But Bones, doubting his command abilities, and Pike seconding that notion later, when he woke up after the emergency surgery Bones performed on him (“what the hell were you thinking you are doing,  cadet ?!”)…

Those doubts hurt, and they hurt even more, because he thought that those two knew him the best.

So when Admiralty Board told him they plan to give him Captaincy of the Enterprise, all he could do was to give the admirals a small smile and say:

“I thank you for this honour, but I’m forced to refuse.”

-o.O.o-

Of course it came as a surprise - the cocky cadet Kirk, and refusing command of the flagship? Who would have thought? Was he thinking up some elaborate prank?

Only Admiral Archer looked at him with thoughtful expression on his face, waving his fellow admirals to silence.

“Cadet Kirk,” he spoke, his voice clear and curious, “while the admiralty will honour your decision,” now he had to silence Nogura with a sharp look, “I believe that some explanation is in order.”

“Of course, Admiral.” Jim nodded, standing with his back almost painfully straight as he looked at the elderly Admiral. He knew more about him than the rest of the Admiralty board (member of his crew, Hoshi, had been on Tarsus, after all, and he came for her,  of course he knew ). “As you are aware of what events took place on board of Enterprise after her emergency launch, you are no doubts aware of reactions first my field promotion to First Officer, and after my return from Delta Vega to Acting Captain provoked from the crew.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

“During the entire incident, apart from exactly  four people on board, everyone else had been expressing their doubts in my command - be it open disrespect, unwillingness to follow their orders or loudly doubting I actually knew what I was doing, either directly in my face, or behind my back. Between those were even people who I believed knew me the best - my friend and roommate Leonard McCoy and my recruiter and course advisor Captain Pike.”

Looking directly at Archer, he finished his little speech. “Under such circumstances I cannot in clean conscience assume command of Starfleet flagship, as I couldn’t count on the crew following my orders not even on day to day basis, not to mention in a real crisis.”

The admiral nodded, not looking at anyone but the young man before him. “Dismissed,” he said, not caring about the protests of his fellow admirals, watching the young man walk away with his back painfully straight, his gait stiff.

This situation was a bloody pickle, but hell if he wouldn’t find a way out of it.

Young Kirk wasn’t the only one who didn’t believe in no-win scenarios, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this should be just a start of a new fanfic, but somehow it works as a one-shot piece as well? Opinions?
> 
> You can follow me on my [WordPress](https://nefindahouse.wordpress.com/) or [tumblr](http://nefindahouse.tumblr.com/)!!


End file.
